27 years of recipes, memories

By Kevin Williams, The Amish Cook | Dec 27, 2017

I want to thank all of our readers and newspapers along the line for reading The Amish Cook. 2018 will mark the column’s 27th year and I’ve been at the helm the whole time. It seems insane to do anything that long, but loyal readers and wonderful newspapers have stuck with it and I’m grateful.

The Quincy Herald-Whig in Quincy, Illinois remains the place where The Amish Cook has run the longest. But others like Kokomo, Indiana and Cincinnati, Ohio are not far behind. And we have newer subscribers like Monticello, Indiana and Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

The newspaper industry has changed incredibly since 1991 and I’m not sure anyone knows where it will go from here. Newspapers have shrunk in size and more and more circulation is not measured by print copies but by digital page-views. The Amish Cook racks up more views each week online now than in print. Who would have thought?

But the one constant: you. And I’m grateful.

The Amish have also changed a lot in 27 years. The first sizable group of Amish arrived in the United States in 1720 ... so the column — I’m rounding — has been published for approximately 10 percent of the entire Amish history in the USA. That’s not insignificant. More and more Amish are accepting of photography (a story — I never could confirm it — about an Amish man who would grab the cameras of tourists and run over the cameras with his buggy was popular when I started this in 1991). More and more Amish use photos, indoor plumbing, some even drive cars and the digital world is catching up to the Amish. But even with all of these changes, the Amish remain a bastion and beacon of simplicity and humility which I think we can all emulate a bit.

I’d like to do a better job of occasionally, through this column, reaching out to readers and I’ll start by wishing you all a blessed and happy 2018. Look for Gloria to return next week. In the meantime, enjoy this New Year’s favorite from the Yoders!

NEW YEAR’ SAUKERKRAUT WITH SAUSAGE

1 pound bulk sausage (browned)

1 large can or bag sauerkraut

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 diced onion

1 cup ketchup

Mix all ingredients. Bake at 275 for 4-5 hours. Stir occasionally. You may want to add a little water to desired consistency.